A lawsuit filed by Minor League Baseball players against Major League Baseball has been settled.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported on Friday that Major League Baseball has agreed to a $185 million settlement for several minimum wage violations that triggered the lawsuit.
Clarifying: As part of the settlement in Senne v. MLB, Major League Baseball will issue a memo that allows teams to pay minor league players during spring training, extended spring training and instructional leagues in Florida and Arizona. They had been blocked from doing so.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 15, 2022
This news sparks positive reactions from several different baseball fans.
Massive news for minor leaguers! https://t.co/ODVkDOO6Zv
— SoDo Mojo (@SodoMojoFS) July 15, 2022
big w https://t.co/gO9L3dYsMH
— Ryan Murphy (@ryanmurphy616) July 15, 2022
Massive W https://t.co/HylNfPKcGW
— TRILL CLINTON (@derekgotloud) July 15, 2022
Massive W for minor league players.👏👏👏 https://t.co/xExQZaP2eY
— Mike Zimmelman (@MZimmel) July 15, 2022
Huuuuuuge win https://t.co/Vow5XTATjn
— Brice Paterik (@BricePaterik) July 15, 2022
Good. Maybe they will be a step toward fair treatment of minor leaguers. https://t.co/bwSu3SUSK0
— Chris Henderson (@Baseball4Brains) July 15, 2022
Significant. https://t.co/DpZ3pUP6xf
— Kyle Malzhan (@KyleMalzhan) July 15, 2022
Great day in baseball history https://t.co/PQ27IXQEHt
— Luis Ayala (@LAyeeeeeTV) July 15, 2022
For the most part, the reaction was positive. But there were some more cynical responses to Friday’s news — and for good reason.
Our statement on today’s landmark settlement in Senne v. MLB: pic.twitter.com/qpLxM9aBGi
— Advocates for Minor Leaguers (@MiLBAdvocates) July 15, 2022
Many baseball fans were happy with the news but also hoping for a bigger number. Others were still skeptical that this settlement will ultimately fix the issue going forward.
That’s good but not nearly enough. So many minor leaguers have suffered and will suffer for so long without tangible, lasting change. https://t.co/9onWIhByxM
— Shlomo Sprung (@SprungOnSports) July 15, 2022
If they’re willing to pay this much to keep the antitrust exemption from challenge, imagine how much it is actually worth. https://t.co/MLcEJZ74ce
— Lawrence Kurtz (@kurtz_lawrence) July 15, 2022
Big business will always pay a huge settlement to avoid a restructuring that forces them to permanently alter their economic model.
Take the lump sum hit, get back to exploiting. https://t.co/Fdz6NeBuAC
— Mike Mitchell (@MikeMitchNH) July 15, 2022
Good to see but curious as to how many players that is being split between https://t.co/rSRtuVxHUn
— Michael Moore (@MMoore13_02) July 15, 2022
$185 million seems like a lot but that's not even one Anthony Rendon contract. https://t.co/Q6wZjrFoYj
— Daniel Tedford (@dgtedford) July 15, 2022
Passan later reported that Minor League players “will receive more than $120 million of the $185 million settlement. He also noted that while the total number of players receiving money is unclear, that thousands are eligible. So, if it’s 1,000 people splitting $120 million evenly, that’s $120,000 per player. Chances are, it’s probably more.
Furthermore, this doesn’t necessarily do anything to fix the greater issue going forward. With that in mind, it’s not overly pessimistic to wonder if a similar lawsuit may emerge in the coming years.
With all of that said, this is a good step in the right direction. And if the issue does persist going forward, at least future Minor Leaguers will have this precedent to take action on.
